[RandomTiger]

Originally posted by Kazan

Shader programs ARE software emulation - just running on the GPU since they've gotten sufficiently general purpose enough to be able to run some more generic routiens on pixels

I know, that was an analogy

[RandomTiger]

Originally posted by ChronoReverse
Personally I think 3.0 shaders are a good idea.  However, I don't think that 3.0 is so important that I'd buy the 6800 for sure over the x800.

I want to keep this card for a long time, cant afford to fork out every 6 months. I'll be looking to keep this card for two years. My limited CPU means I might not see the top framerates of either of the cards and in two years time they will both be crap. But the 6800 will have shader 3.

[Fineus]

I can't help but feel you'd be better off waiting till Christmas then, by then PCIExpress will have had some time in the real world and will be on its way to taking over as mainstream.... plus the next generation of cards should be out/coming out along with announcements for the games that'll really need them.

Right now there's just nothing out there that really needs the new power.

[Xelion]

I would think the Graphics Card market is stepping into the transition of the CPU market where products can't be measured against each other. When they are though its incredibly bias , its just user preference now.. nothing more

[Kazan]

I still stick with ATI due to nVidia's history of having problems with heat and other general poor marks from the engineering department

[Grey Wolf]

And ATI has a history of having problems with drivers.

When an architecture is completely rebuilt, you can't always base your decisions on past generations. Of course, the R420 is actually the same as the R300 and R360 at it's core, but my point still stands.

[Kazan]

Grey Wolf 2009: not in the last yeah

[Grey Wolf]

I was just pointing out an example of how past performance doesn't always dictate future performance. Older ATI drivers were useless. Now, they aren't. Rather like the Omega modified ones myself...

[JR2000Z]

(sorry for the little off-topic)

Here's a 30 second comparison of the ATi/nVidia boards for you guys. Looks like ATi won.

http://www.bbspot.com/News/2004/05/radeon_x800_vs_geforce_6800.html

[J3Vr6]

I feel dumber for reading that review, thanks!

[pyro-manic]

Originally posted by Grey Wolf 2009
What's even more fun is a 9800 non-pro. Flashed to Pro. Then flashed to XT. With a Zalman cooler on it. If only my PSU could handle it properly (It's really killing my CPU overclocking).

!?!! Explain, please - prob'ly getting a 9800-?? when i get my new puter. How do I do this, and where do I get the relevant files?

[kasperl]

www.theregister.co.uk

look up the review yourself.

It seems that the ATI card can run on a reasonable PSU, and is a single slot setup. nVidia is known for huge, power consuming, jet engine heat&sound monsters. I want a silent, normal sized, cool card so I won't need liquid nitrogen cooling or a fan the size of a 747 to keep my case working.

[Fineus]

Some of the 9800 cards (the high-powered ones, not the tiny ones) even run without any form of fan at all... just a specially designed heatsink. Quite impressive if you ask me. That said I keep edging closer to liqued cooling since it removes every damn problem related to heat.

[kasperl]

I want my PC to be silent. I want it too work without problems. I don't care about overclocking. Therefore, ATI is better then nVidia.

[Fineus]

I'm not defending nVidia, nor am I "bigging up" ATI or trying to put them down... but I have seen graphics corruption on GTA3 while running my new 9800 Pro that wasn't there when I was running a GeForce 4. Ergo nothings as straightforward as "silent and working without problems".

That said, the graphics glitch doesn't make it unplayable so I wouldn't call it a show stopper either. Both brands of card work - but it's down to the individual to decide what they can afford, want and need.

[Grey Wolf]

Kalfireth: That heatsink on the Sapphire Atlantis video cards is actually a Zalman heatsink, identical to the retail model in everything except for color, and costing more due to the fact they put it on for you.

pyro-maniac: BIOS flashing. The 9800 non-pro is identical to the 9800 Pro, and the only difference between the 9800 non-pro and the 9800 XT is the cooling and the fact that it has half the ram. ATI drivers do not specify ram quantities, hence, you can flash a 9800 non-pro to 9800 XT. Haven't done it myself, as I bought the card off my friend pre-modded, as he's getting a new setup before he goes off to college.

kasperl: Please state facts. Sure, the new 6800 Ultra uses a double slot cooling setup. It's not a dustbuster like the 5800 Ultras, though. And the 480w PSU requirement isn't real. A decent 350w handles it fine. This has been proven. The 480w requirement is for those with poor quality PSUs.